Marriage Celebrants E-bulletin March 2004
Welcome to the March 2004 issue of the e-bulletin for marriage celebrants.
The contents of e-bulletins apply equally to civil and independent religious marriage celebrants authorised by the Attorney-General.
We encourage you to distribute this e-bulletin to your members and other people likely to have an interest. Permission to re-print any part of this e-bulletin is provided, subject to your agreement that its contents are not edited or changed. This e-bulletin will be made available on the Internet as soon as possible after its distribution, and can be accessed at the following address:
www.ag.gov.au/celebrants (select Latest News)
We intend to continue to distribute e-bulletins via email in the immediate future, but we encourage you to access the Internet version, as over time the current duplication of e-bulletins through email messages will be phased out. Currently e-bulletins are forwarded to all marriage celebrant associations - if you are a member of an association, you should be receiving e-bulletins from that association.
The package that we sent you last August should be your reference point for all details of the new system of registration of marriage celebrants - if there is anything you don't understand, please use this package as your first reference point.
Contact details for the Marriage Celebrants Section are at the end of this e-bulletin.
Exclusive Arrangements
We have received information that suggests that some celebrants may have entered into exclusive arrangements with businesses such as wedding planners or wedding venue providers. Celebrants should be aware that such arrangements put at risk their capacity to perform their obligations appropriately, particularly those elements relating to providing couples with a choice of ceremony and advising couples about the range of relationship services available to them. These obligations are contained in the Code of Practice.
If a celebrant has an exclusive arrangement where they are directing clients to a particular wedding-related business, they also risk a potential conflict of interest arising.
Such arrangements may result in a review of the celebrant's situation.
If celebrants have any concerns about their situation in this respect, they should discuss them with the Marriage Celebrants Section. If you have evidence of such exclusive arrangements operating you should also contact the Marriage Celebrants Section. You will need to be prepared to provide evidence, and to have your name provided to the celebrant concerned. The Section will then decide on further action, if appropriate.
Marriage Celebrants Section Telephone Answering Machine (02) 6250 6496
Some celebrants have advised that they are unwilling to leave a message on the Marriage Celebrants Section's answering machine, and would prefer to talk to a "real person". We are aware that some find this arrangement unsatisfactory. However, this arrangement is essential to manage the volume of calls and other enquiries received in the Section each day.
The Marriage Celebrants Section receives approximately 40 calls a day on the answering machine. The numbers are frequently higher than this. In addition, the Section mailbox receives at least 40 messages per day. We have a roster system to manage this volume of daily enquiries, and we do our best to get back to enquirers as soon as possible. We keep a record of all incoming enquiries, and the calls we make and emails we send in response. Were it not for this roster system, the Section's ongoing work would be unmanageable.
It would help the Marriage Celebrants Section enquiries roster if all callers would speak very clearly when leaving their message, and ensure that they give their name, "A" number, and return telephone number including the area code. Callers leaving their "A" numbers will be given priority in the listing of returned calls.
Ongoing Professional Development
Additional Activities
To see the listing of additional activities that have been approved for Ongoing Professional Development since the original listing was sent to you last year, please see the Marriage Celebrants Program website at www.ag.gov.au/celebrants (click on Ongoing Professional Development - Additions to November 2003 List).
To see the original listing of activities approved for Ongoing Professional Development last year, please see the Marriage Celebrants Program website at www.ag.gov.au/celebrants (click on Professional Development Obligations - Activity List Issued November 2003).
Below is a listing of all Ongoing Professional Development activities approved since the original listing was sent out to you last November:
COMPULSORY ACTIVITY
Activity: Knowledge of the requirements of the Marriage Act 1961 and Marriage Regulations (in three specific areas)
Provider: Monash University, Melbourne
Method of Delivery: Face-to-face
Location: Melbourne
Duration: 1 hour
Code number: 38
Contact details: Monash University, Diana Wong, Tel: (03) 9905 2172
Email: diana.wong@arts.monash.edu.au
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Activity: Wedding ceremony for the hospitalised and the very elderly
Provider: Mrs Helen Scott
Method of Delivery: Video
Location: N/A
Duration: 3 hours
Code Number: 39
Contact Details: An Authorised Nationwide Celebrant Service, Helen Scott
Tel: (02) 4982 1978
Email: weddings@nelsonbay.com
Activity: Communication Skills and the Role of Emotional Intelligence
Provider: Monash University, Melbourne
Method of Delivery: Face-to-face
Location: Melbourne
Duration: 1 hour
Code Number: 41
Contact Details: Monash University, Diana Wong
Tel: (03) 9905 2172
Email: diana.wong@arts.monash.edu.au
Activity: The Migration Act 1958 - aspects of the legislation particularly relevant to marriage celebrants
Provider: Monash University, Melbourne
Method of Delivery: Face-to-face
Location: Melbourne
Duration: 1 hour 30 mins
Code Number: 42
Contact Details: Monash University, Diana Wong
Tel: (03) 9905 2172
Email: diana.wong@arts.monash.edu.au
Activity: Designing a Professional Marriage Ceremony
Provider: Australian Fellowship of Faith Churches and Ministers International
Method of Delivery: Face-to-face
Location: Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth (to be confirmed)
Duration: 4 hours
Code Number: 43
Contact Details: Australian Fellowship of Faith Churches and Ministers International
Head Office: 13 Wattland St, SPRINGWOOD QLD 4127
Tel: (07) 3804 3000; Lee Bacon 0401 - 204 012
Email: office@cffglobal.com
Activity: Dealing with Contingencies on the Day
Provider: Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants (Inc)
Method of Delivery: Face-to-face
Location: Sydney, Canberra
Duration: 1 hour
Code Number: 44
Contact Details: Roger Thomson, Vice President
Aust Federation of Civil Celebrants (Inc)
Chair, AFCC Professional Development Committee
Tel: (02) 6288 1942; mob 0412 - 793 115
Email: rkthomson@austarmetro.com.au
Departmental Presentations of Compulsory Activity
Celebrants wishing to make a booking to attend an Attorney-General's Department presentation of the compulsory Ongoing Professional Development activity should now be contacting the Marriage Celebrant Section. When you leave a message on the answering machine about this, we will return your call and take your booking details.
Please note that we are unable to take bookings for the Sydney session on 21 June 2004 until the beginning of May 2004. If you wish to attend in Sydney on this date, please contact the Marriage Celebrants Section in May.
If you are interested in attending one of the Departmental presentations that are to take place at an Association meeting, you should get in touch with the Association contact person listed (please see pages 4-5 of the documents sent to all celebrants in November 2003 entitled Professional Development Obligations for all Celebrants Authorised by the Commonwealth).
Contact Details for the Marriage Celebrants Section
Telephone: (02) 6250 6496
Email: marriagecelebrantssection@ag.gov.au
Deborah Nance
Registrar of Marriage Celebrants
Marriage Celebrants Section
Family Law Branch
Family Law and Legal Assistance Division